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Helsinki tram

Future acquisitions

The board of HKL decided on 2 December 2010 to order 40 new articulated trams from the Finnish manufacturer Transtech Oy

Transtech Oy

Transtech Oy is Finland's major domestic manufacturer of railway rolling stock. It specialises in building railway vehicles for extreme climatic conditions, such as those encountered in Finland.-History:...

. Transtech is the direct descendant of the state-owned Valmet, which built Helsinki's NrI and NrII trams. Two new trams are to start test runs in 2013 and the production series deliveries are expected to start in 2015. The order is worth €113 million and it includes an option for a further 90 trams.

The new Transtech tram has a double-articulated, eight-axle design. It is planned to be 27.3 metre long and to have 73 fixed seats, 14 foldable seats and space for 75 standee passengers. The design has a 100 % low floor and conventional, turning bogies designed to run without problems on Helsinki's challenging old-fashioned track network.

In preparation for the acquisition of new trams, in 2007–2008 one CROTRAM

CROTRAM

Crotram is a Croatian consortium of two companies, which produces the first Croatian low-floor tram . It consists of Končar Elektroindustrija d.d. and TŽV Gredelj d.o.o., both from Zagreb...

 TMK 2200 type tram built in Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

 was used for test running in Helsinki. Due to the hilly nature of Helsinki's tram network compared to that of Zagreb

Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...

 (for which the TMK 2200 type was designed), the TMK 2200 could be operated only on the relatively flat-terrain lines 6 and 8. The tram performed technically without problems. Passenger feedback was largely negative, but mostly concerned issues — such as the seating arrangements — that would be changed if the type were mass-produced for HKL. During the initial phase of the call for bids opened in late 2008, Alstom

Alstom

Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...

, Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....

, CAF

Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles

Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles is a rail equipment manufacturer based in Beasain in the Basque Country, Spain. Equipment manufactured by CAF includes light rail vehicles, rapid transit trains, railroad cars and locomotives, as well as variable gauge axles that can be fitted on any...

, Končar (Crotram), ON's Industry, Siemens

Siemens

Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...

, Škoda

Škoda Works

Škoda Works was the largest industrial enterprise in Austro-Hungary and later in Czechoslovakia, one of its successor states. It was also one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Europe in the 20th century...

, Transtech

Transtech Oy

Transtech Oy is Finland's major domestic manufacturer of railway rolling stock. It specialises in building railway vehicles for extreme climatic conditions, such as those encountered in Finland.-History:...

 and Vossloh

Vossloh

Vossloh AG is a German transport technology manufacturer based in the Westphalian town of Werdohl. The group has 4,700 employees , and generated sales of €1.2 billion, of which approximately 60% came from the rail infrastructure division, and the remainder from the motive power and components...

 (reportedly in collaboration with Heiter Blick) submitted tenders. Of these, Bombardier, CAF, Škoda, Transtech and Vossloh were selected for the second phase of the call for bids. In the end, Bombardier, CAF and Transtech submitted tenders and Transtech's tender was chosen.

To ease the construction of new tram tracks into Jätkäsaari

Jätkäsaari

Jätkäsaari is a quarter in Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. It is part to the Kampinmalmi district and Länsisatama neighbourhood. It is was the location of the main container harbour in Helsinki until late 2008, when the harbour moved to the new facilities in Vuosaari...

 during 2009–2015 (see below), the acquisition of double-ended trams is also under consideration. No new trams are available to be delivered by the time these are needed, so the only option is to acquire them second-hand.

History

Today, Helsinki is the only city in Finland to still have tram traffic. Two other Finnish cities—Turku

Turku

Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

 (see Turku tram

Turku tram

The Turku tramway network was the first—and as of 2008, second to last—tram system to be operated in Finland. It was operated as horse tramway from 1890 until 1892, and as an electrified tramway from 1908 until 1972...

) and Vyborg

Vyborg

Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, to the northwest of St. Petersburg and south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...

 ' onMouseout='HidePop("59652")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Russia">Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

)—have had tram systems. Vyborg abandoned its trams in 1957, after the city had been ceded

Cession

The act of Cession, or to cede, is the assignment of property to another entity. In international law it commonly refers to land transferred by treaty...

 to the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 following the result of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Turku withdrew its trams in 1972.

1890–1900: Horse-drawn single-track lines

The first proposals for the construction of a tram system into Helsinki were made in 1870s, but they were at the time unsuccessful. Public transport in Helsinki was initiated in 1888 by Helsingin omnibussiosakeyhtiö, using horse-drawn omnibuses

Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

. In 1889 Helsingin Omnibussiosakeyhtiö acquired the right to construct tram lines in Helsinki. The following year the company changed its name in Helsingin raitiotie- ja omnibussiosakeyhtiö (abbreviated HRO). Electric traction

Railway electric traction

Railway electric traction describes the various types of locomotive and multiple units that are used on electrification systems around the world.-History:...

 was considered as a power source for the new system, but due to lack of funds and the city council's negative attitude towards electric trams, the decision was made to use horse-drawn trams instead. The new system was built to a rail gauge

Rail gauge

Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...

 of one metre. Test traffic started in December 1890, but the network wasn't officially opened for traffic until June 1891. The capacity of the horse tram system soon proved insufficient, but the changeover into electrified trams was postproned while waiting for the price of electrification of the network to drop.

The slowness of the electrification process was the source of conflict within the HRO, and during the latter half of the 1890s Julius Tallberg acquired the right to construct an orbital tram system around the city, that would have linked together the existing HRO lines and parts of the city not covered by the HRO lines. Following negotiations Tallberg and his associates transferred the construction permit of the orbital line to the HRO in return for a large number of HRO stocks.

1900–1908: Electric single-track lines

In 1897 HRO received the right to construct an electrified tramway into Helsinki. A call for bids was sent out the following year, and the contract was awarded to the Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

-based O.L. Kummer. By terms on the agreement Kummer had to construct and electrify the new tram system as well as construct the trams used on it, and the company would be responsible for trafficking the new system for up to three years in order to ensure good quality of construction. Electrification of the network was mostly completed in 1900, with one short horse-drawn line lingering until 1901. Kummer had made notable profits from operating the new electrified system, and already in 1901 HRO assumed responsibility for operating the tram network. Following the electrification the number of lines grew into four, but all lines remained single-track. At the same time colours were taken into use as line identifiers.

Within a few years the single-track lines proved insufficient to meet the passenger demand, but the majority of stock owners were unwilling to fund the conversion into double track, while Julius Tallberg and his associates were strongly for the conversion. In 1906 Tallberg and his supporters acquired a stock majority in the HRO, and during the same year the company applied for and received a permission to convert their track network into double track. The contract also specified certain lines that HRO had to operate, as well as certain extensions that had to be built.

1908–1945

The contract for converting the tram network into double track was awarded to the Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 ASEA

ASEA

Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget was a Swedish industry company. It merged with the Swiss Brown, Boveri & Cie in 1988 to form Asea Brown Boveri...

. Conversion work begun in 1908 and was completed in 1910. From 1908 until 1919 ASEA also supplied the HRO with a total of 78 trams and 70 trailers. In 1909 Brändö Villastad Ab, a company constructing a garden city

Garden city movement

The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts" , containing proportionate areas of residences, industry and...

 in the island of Kulosaari

Kulosaari

Kulosaari is an island and a suburb in Helsinki, Finland. It is also the 42nd neighbourhood of the city. Construction of villas on the island started in the beginning of the 20th century, and a bridge from Sörnäinen was opened in 1919...

 (then a part of Helsingin maalaiskunta), and HRO reached an agreement for linking Kulosaari into the Helsinki tram network. The track onwards from the existing HRO line in Sörnäinen

Sörnäinen

Sörnäinen is a neighbourhood in the city of Helsinki, Finland.Sörnäinen is located a little more than one kilometre north from the coastal centre of Helsinki, near the district of Hakaniemi. The east side of Sörnäinen borders the sea....

 was built by Brändö Villastad Ab, who was also responsible for the upkeep of the track, as well as the tram ferry

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 required to cross the Kuorekarinsalmi sea area between Sörnäinen and Kulosaari. Traffic on the new connection was operated by HRO, and service begun in 1910 using existing HRO trams. In 1916 Brändö Spårvägsaktiebolag, which had been created as a separate company to take care of the Kulosaari tram tracks, ordered two new trams of its own. Due to World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 these were not delivered until 1919, and even after they had been delivered HRO remained in charge of trafficking the line. In 1919 a bridge between Kulosaari and the mainland was also completed.

In 1913 the HRO begun expanding its tram network for the first time since 1901, when the tracks were expanded from Hakaniemi

Hakaniemi

Hakaniemi is an unofficial district of Helsinki, the Finnish capital. It is considered a part of the Helsinki city center. Historically, it was often associated with the working class and worker's associations. However, the cost of living has risen considerably in recent years and is now on par...

 to Alppila

Alppila

Alppila is a quarter of Helsinki, Finland. It is located north of the city centre, between the districts of Kallio and Pasila, and together with Harju it forms the district of Alppiharju. Alppila has a population of 4244 and an area of 0.60 km². The Linnanmäki amusement park is located in...

. During the same year the City of Helsinki acquired the stock majority of HRO, but HRO remained an independent company. The following year the network was also expanded into Taka-Töölö and Hermanni

Hermanni

Hermanni is a neighbourhood in Central major district of Helsinki, Finland., Hermanni has 3,580 inhabitants living in an area of 1.06 km2. Hermanni is part of Vallila district.-Politics:Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011 in Hermanni:...

. After this the World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 made it impossible to acquire electric wires and points

Railroad switch

A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....

 required for construction.

The construction of non-HRO owned tram lines continued when in 1914 new tram tracks owned by Aktiebolaget M.G. Stenius were opened to traffic, linking the existing HRO tracks in Töölö

Töölö

Töölö is the collective name for the neighbourhoods Etu-Töölö and Taka-Töölö in Helsinki, Finland. The neighbourhoods are located next to the city centre, occupying the western side of the Helsinki Peninsula....

 to Munkkiniemi

Munkkiniemi

Munkkiniemi is a neighbourhood in Helsinki. Subdivisions within the district are Vanha Munkkiniemi, Kuusisaari, Lehtisaari, Munkkivuori, Niemenmäki and Talinranta.The land in Munkkiniemi was from the 17th century a part of Munksnäs manor...

 and Haaga

Haaga

Haaga is a district and a former municipality in the Western major district of Helsinki with a population of 25,435.Haaga is divided into four subareas, which are Pohjois-Haaga , Etelä-Haaga , Kivihaka and Lassila.Haaga has two railway stations: Huopalahti railway station in south and...

. As with the Kulosaari tramline, HRO was responsible for trafficking on these lines. In 1926 HRO acquired Aktiebolaget M.G. Stenius and two years later Brändö Spårvägsaktiebolag also passed under HRO ownership. As a result HRO again became the sole owner and operator of trams in Helsinki. During the same year line numbers and letters were taken into use as line identifiers alongside colours. Lines serving the city were identified with numbers, while suburban lines were identified with letters.

The tram network reached its apex in 1930, when the network covered a larger area than ever before or after (as of 2008), and there were 14 lines in operation.

1945–1975

In the end of 1944 the City of Helsinki had acquired the entirety of HRO, which now became a municipal transport authority under the name Helsingin Kaupungin Liikennelaitos (HKL). This had little to no effect in tram operations. In 1950 secondary line identifier letters were taken into use to distinguish rush hour services from the standard routes (for example 1A, KA. The second letter was a capital letter but in a smaller size from the first). In 1953 the usage of letters as the primary line identifier ended, and the following year line colours were also abandoned.

Trams remained the main public transport system until the 1950s and 1960s, when the city rapidly sprawled

Urban sprawl

Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...

 and private cars became increasingly common; the new suburbs came to be served mainly by buses and commuter trains. During the 1940s and 1950s plans were drawn for a large light rail

Light rail

Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...

 network incorporating into the tram system, which would have served major suburban centers; in preparation for this the new Kulosaari bridge (built 1956) featured a reserved space for tram tracks, while the new tram depot was built in Koskela

Koskela

Koskela , Forsby is a district in the city of Helsinki, Finland.-Politics:Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011 in Koskela:*Social Democratic Party 24.2%*True Finns 16.8%*Left Alliance 16.0%...

 next to a planned northeast light rail line—new tracks had to be built linking the depot to the existing network. As of August 2008, this track along Kustaa Vaasan tie has never been used in normal passenger traffic. During the 1950s a total of 105 Finnish-built double-bogie trams (Karia types HM IV and HM V

Karia HM V

HM V is a class of two-bogie four-axle tram operated by Helsinki City Transport on the Helsinki tram network. All trams of this type were built by the Finnish tram manufacturer Karia in 1959....

, Valmet

Valmet

' was a Finnish state-owned conglomerate. Valmet was formed in 1951, when the state of Finland decided to group their various factories working on war reparations to the Soviet Union under one company...

 types RM 1 and RM 3) were delivered to the HKL.

During the 1960s all plans for expanding the tram network were put on hold while resources were concentrated on the planning of the metro

Helsinki Metro

The Helsinki Metro , is the metro system in Helsinki, Finland. It is the World's most northern metro system, and currently the only one in Finland. The system was opened to the general public on 2 August 1982 after 27 years of planning...

 and additional bus connections. At the same time plans were drawn for the termination of the tram network by the year 2000. In 1969 Helsinki city council made the decision that in the future tramlines would be confined to the inner city, while the metro would serve the suburban areas; the tram system would be terminated, at earliest in the year 2000. This decision required the acquisition of new trams to replace the last two-axle trams, the oldest of which dated from the 1920s. Originally the plan was to acquire fairly new second-hand articulated Düwag GT6 trams from Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

, but the deal fell through and in the end new articulated trams were acquired from Valmet (type Nr I

Valmet Nr I

Nr I is a class of articulated six-axle , chopper-driven tram operated by Helsinki City Transport on the Helsinki tram network...

) in 1973–1975. These trams were planned to be the last trams to be acquired for traffic in Helsinki. In a break from tradition the Nr I trams were originally painted in an orange/grey colours scheme instead of the traditional green/yellow, integrating their visual appearance with the Dm 8 and Dm 9 express DMU

Diesel multiple unit

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...

s of the Finnish State Railways, as well as the Helsinki metro, which was in testing phase at the time.

1976 onwards

During the early 1970s the decision to terminate the tram system was reconsidered and eventually reversed. In 1976, the tram network was expanded for the first time since 1955, when the new connection into Itä-Pasila was opened (then line 2, present line 7). Another expansion was opened in 1980, when tracks in Katajanokka

Katajanokka

Katajanokka is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland, with around 4000 inhabitants in 2005. The district is located adjacent to the immediate downtown area, though in the first major town plan for Helsinki from the mid-18th century, the area fell outside the fortifications planned to encircle the...

 were expanded eastward to a new residential area (then line 5, present line 4). In 1981 another group of articulated trams, based on the Nr I type, were ordered from Valmet. Classified as Nr II

Valmet Nr II

Nr II is a class of articulated six-axle , chopper-driven tram operated by Helsinki City Transport on the Helsinki tram network. All trams of this type were built by the Finnish metal industry corporation Valmet between the years 1983 and 1987.Between 1996 and 2005 all trams in the class were...

, these trams were delivered between 1983 and 1987, allowing the withdrawal of the majority of the 1950s-built trams (types HM IV and RM 1 in their entirety), as well as withdrawal of all trailers. In 1985 the tram network was extended to West Pasila (line 7). In the mid-1980s the tram lines were radically reorganised: line 5 was closed down and the routes of lines 2, 3B, 3T, 4, 7A, 7B, 8 and 10 altered to a smaller or larger degree.

The next expansion of the track lineage occurred in 1991, when the connection from Ruskeasuo

Ruskeasuo

Ruskeasuo is a neighbourhood of Helsinki , about 3 kilometres north of the city centre....

 to Pikku Huopalahti

Pikku Huopalahti

Pikku Huopalahti is a neighbourhood of Helsinki between Mannerheimintie in the east and Huopalahdentie to its west...

 was opened (line 10). In the 1990s wide-randing plans were made for expansion and improvement of the tram system. These included the Jokeri orbital light rail line connecting Itäkeskus

Itäkeskus

Itäkeskus is a quarter in the neighbourhood of Vartiokylä in the eastern part of Helsinki. The district's main attraction is the largest covered-in shopping mall in the Nordic countries, Itäkeskus shopping centre...

 to Leppävaara

Leppävaara

Leppävaara or Alberga is a district of Espoo, a city in Finland. A major traffic hub in the Greater Helsinki region, the Rantarata rail line and Kehä I, the busiest road in Finland, cross in Leppävaara. The Sello Shopping Centre is also located there...

, extensions of the system to Munkkivuori

Munkkivuori

Munkkivuori is a quarter of the Munkkiniemi neighbourhood in Helsinki. The buildings and the plan of site are typical of the late 1950s. Most of the residential buildings in Munkkivuori are within a loop formed by Ulvilantie ring road...

, Koskela

Koskela

Koskela , Forsby is a district in the city of Helsinki, Finland.-Politics:Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011 in Koskela:*Social Democratic Party 24.2%*True Finns 16.8%*Left Alliance 16.0%...

, Viikki

Viikki

Viikki is a neighbourhood of about 5,500 inhabitants in Helsinki, Finland. It is located at the bottom of Vanhankaupunginlahti bay, some 7–10 km from the city centre....

, Malmi

Malmi

Malmi has several meanings.*Malmi is the Finnish language word for ore.*Malmi is a district in the city of Helsinki.*Malmi is a village in the municipality of Siuntio.*Malmi is a village in the municipality of Pyhtää....

, Jätkäsaari

Jätkäsaari

Jätkäsaari is a quarter in Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. It is part to the Kampinmalmi district and Länsisatama neighbourhood. It is was the location of the main container harbour in Helsinki until late 2008, when the harbour moved to the new facilities in Vuosaari...

, Kalasatama and Arabianranta

Arabianranta

Arabianranta or Arabiastranden is a fast growing residential part of Helsinki, Finland. It is bound by Vanhankaupunginlahti bay from east, and connects to neighboring boroughs of Vanhakaupunki in north, Hermanni in south and Toukola and Kumpula in west...

. Out of these the Arabianranta extension was eventually realised, Jätkäsaari is under construction as of 2010 (see below) and the Kalasatama connection in under planning stages (see below). In addition to the extensions, the plans included a new line, number 9 (opened 2008) and a partially tunneled light rail line linking Erottaja

Erottaja

Erottaja , meaning "the separator", is a public square near the centre of Helsinki, Finland.Erottaja square has been selected as the official geographic "zero point" of Helsinki. Distances to all other cities in Finland are measured starting from here. In practice, the square functions as the...

 to Pasila via Töölö. Various changes to improve the average speeds of the system were also proposed and it was found the benefits of these improvements would outweigh the costs by a large margin. Despite this, the improvements were left unrealised.

From 1999 onwards, HKL purchased a new fleet of low-floor Variotram

Variotram

Variotram is a German-designed articulated low-floor tram model. Since its introduction in 1993, the Variotram has been manufactured variously by ABB, Adtranz, Bombardier Transportation, and since 2001 by Stadler Rail. As of 2009, 254 trams have been ordered, with an additional 110 on option...

trams from ADtranz

Adtranz

ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation , commonly known under its brand Adtranz, was a multi-national rail transport equipment manufacturer with facilities concentrated in Europe and the USA....

 (Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....

 since 2001). The new generation trams suffered from persistent technical difficulties and frequent break-downs, the entire batch having been refitted by the manufacturer in Germany. To cover for the missing trams, the city bought ten second-hand trams from Mannheim

Mannheim

Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....

, Germany. To help pay for the second-hand trams, HKL was allowed to cover six of the extra trams completely in advertising, a sight rarely seen before on the streets of Helsinki. In 2004 the network was expanded again, this time by lengthening the tracks from Arabia into the new residential development area in Arabianranta

Arabianranta

Arabianranta or Arabiastranden is a fast growing residential part of Helsinki, Finland. It is bound by Vanhankaupunginlahti bay from east, and connects to neighboring boroughs of Vanhakaupunki in north, Hermanni in south and Toukola and Kumpula in west...

 (lines 6 and 8). On 10 August 2008, the new line number 9 was opened, connecting Kolmikulma in central Helsinki to East-Pasila and replacing bus line number 17. This marked the opening of the first new tram line in Helsinki since the (re-)opening of line 2 in 1976.

Route history

During the history of tram traffic in Helsinki, the routes of various lines have been altered, sometimes radically, and line designations have been changed or swapped between different routes. For instance, the still-existing line 1 (also known as the green line 1900–1926) has run on 22 different routes/route variants since the line was first opened in 1890. The following is a simplified list designed to give a basic impression of what the tram network was like during different eras. Various short-lived route changes and rush hour services are ignored to ease reading.

1890–1901: horse-drawn trams

• Töölö
  Töölö
  Töölö is the collective name for the neighbourhoods Etu-Töölö and Taka-Töölö in Helsinki, Finland. The neighbourhoods are located next to the city centre, occupying the western side of the Helsinki Peninsula....
  
  —Kaivopuisto
  Kaivopuisto
  Kaivopuisto , or in spoken language, Kaivari, is one of the oldest and best known parks in central Helsinki, Finland, and also a neighbourhood of about 500 inhabitants where the park is located.-Geography:...
  
  . Shortened, then closed down in 1900. Replaced by the Yellow Line in the new electrified tramway.
• Sörnäinen
  Sörnäinen
  Sörnäinen is a neighbourhood in the city of Helsinki, Finland.Sörnäinen is located a little more than one kilometre north from the coastal centre of Helsinki, near the district of Hakaniemi. The east side of Sörnäinen borders the sea....
  
  —Lapinlahdenkatu. Shortened in 1900, closed down in 1901. Replaced by the Green and Red Lines in the new electrified tramway.

1900–1909

• Green: Eira
  Eira
  Eira is a neighborhood in Helsinki, the capital of Finland.The district dates back to the early 20th century and received its name after Eira Hospital in the neighboring district of Ullanlinna, which in turn took its name from Eira Hospital in Stockholm, which was named after Eir, the old...
  
  —Sörnäinen (1900–1901), Katajanokka
  Katajanokka
  Katajanokka is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland, with around 4000 inhabitants in 2005. The district is located adjacent to the immediate downtown area, though in the first major town plan for Helsinki from the mid-18th century, the area fell outside the fortifications planned to encircle the...
  
  —Eira—Sörnäinen (1901–1907, combination of green and blue lines), Kauppatori—Sörnäinen (1907–1910).
• Yellow: Töölö—Kaivopuisto (1900–1908).
• Blue: Töölö/Mariankatu (present-day Presidential Palace
  Presidential Palace, Helsinki
  The Presidential Palace in Helsinki , is one of the official residences in Helsinki of the President of the Republic of Finland. It is situated on the north side of Esplanadi, overlooking Market Square.-Origins and early history:...
  
  )—Hietalahti (1900–1901). Combined into the Green Line 1901–1907. Katajanokka—Hietalahti (1907–1909).
• Red: Ylioppilastalo/Lapinlahti
  Lapinlahti
  Lapinlahti is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
  
  —Kruununhaka (1900–1907), Lapinlahti—Kallio
  Kallio
  Kallio is a district and a neighbourhood in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, located on the eastern side of the Helsinki peninsula about one kilometere north from the city centre. It is one of the most densely populated areas in Finland...
  
   (1907–1909).

1909–1926

In addition to the lines owned by Helsingin Raitiotie- ja Omnibussiosakeyhtiö, one line was owned by Brändö Spårvägsaktiebolag, two lines by Aktiebolaget M.G. Stenius as well as one line owned by Julius Tallberg in Lauttasaari.

• Green: Eira—Hermanni
  Hermanni
  Hermanni is a neighbourhood in Central major district of Helsinki, Finland., Hermanni has 3,580 inhabitants living in an area of 1.06 km2. Hermanni is part of Vallila district.-Politics:Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011 in Hermanni:...
  
   (1910–1931).
• Yellow: Töölö—Kaivopuisto
  Kaivopuisto
  Kaivopuisto , or in spoken language, Kaivari, is one of the oldest and best known parks in central Helsinki, Finland, and also a neighbourhood of about 500 inhabitants where the park is located.-Geography:...
  
  —Rautatientori
  Rautatientori
  Rautatientori is an open square in central Helsinki, immediately to the east of the Helsinki Central railway station. The square mostly serves as Helsinki's secondary bus station...
  
  /Hakaniemi
  Hakaniemi
  Hakaniemi is an unofficial district of Helsinki, the Finnish capital. It is considered a part of the Helsinki city center. Historically, it was often associated with the working class and worker's associations. However, the cost of living has risen considerably in recent years and is now on par...
  
   (1908–1922), Eira—Kallio—Töölö—Kauppatori—Eira (figure-of-eight circular, 1922–2009)
• Yellow-White: Katajanokka—Hietalahti (1909–1926), Etu-Töölö—Kirurgi (1924–1926). Two lines operated under the same colours 1924–1926.
• Red: Lapinlahti—Hakaniemi/Alppila
  Alppila
  Alppila is a quarter of Helsinki, Finland. It is located north of the city centre, between the districts of Kallio and Pasila, and together with Harju it forms the district of Alppiharju. Alppila has a population of 4244 and an area of 0.60 km². The Linnanmäki amusement park is located in...
  
   (1909–1925).
• White: Sörnäinen/Kauppatori—Kulosaari
  Kulosaari
  Kulosaari is an island and a suburb in Helsinki, Finland. It is also the 42nd neighbourhood of the city. Construction of villas on the island started in the beginning of the 20th century, and a bridge from Sörnäinen was opened in 1919...
  
   (1910–1951). Brändö Spårvägsaktiebolag owned the line from Sörnäinen onwards as well as the rolling stock. HRO operated the service. Between 1910 and 1919 the trams were carried across Kuorekarinsalmi sea area by a ferry.
• Blue-Yellow: Ylioppilastalo/Kauppatori—Haaga
  Haaga
  Haaga is a district and a former municipality in the Western major district of Helsinki with a population of 25,435.Haaga is divided into four subareas, which are Pohjois-Haaga , Etelä-Haaga , Kivihaka and Lassila.Haaga has two railway stations: Huopalahti railway station in south and...
  
   (1914–1926). Aktiebolaget M.G. Stenius owned the line from Laakso
  Laakso
  Laakso is a neighbourhood in Helsinki, Finland. Its borders are defined by the streets of Mannerheimintie and Nordenskiöldinkatu and the Helsinki Central Park...
  
   onwards. HRO operated the service using their own trams.
• Red-Yellow: Ylioppilastalo/Kauppatori—Munkkiniemi
  Munkkiniemi
  Munkkiniemi is a neighbourhood in Helsinki. Subdivisions within the district are Vanha Munkkiniemi, Kuusisaari, Lehtisaari, Munkkivuori, Niemenmäki and Talinranta.The land in Munkkiniemi was from the 17th century a part of Munksnäs manor...
  
   (1914–1926). Aktiebolaget M.G. Stenius owned the line from Laakso onwards. HRO operated the service using their own trams.
• Lauttalaituri—Katajaharjunniemi (1913–1917). A Julius Tallberg -owned horse tram line operated on the island of Lauttasaari, using former HRO trams.

1926–1953

In 1926 HRO acquired both Aktiebolaget M.G. Stenius and two years later Brändö Spårvägsaktiebolag, becoming the sole tram operator in Helsinki. During 1926 year numbers and/or letters were taken into use as identifiers of different lines alongside colours. Numbers were used for inner city lines, letters for suburb lines.

• 1 (green): Eira—Hermanni/Arabia (1910–1949), Eira—Vallila—Salmisaari
  Salmisaari
  Salmisaari is a small area belonging to the Ruoholahti quarter of the Länsisatama neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland....
  
   (1949–1953, combination of lines 1 and 8).
• 2 (green-white): Kauppatori—Hermanni (1926—1928). Not operated 1928–1939. Etu-Töölö—Hakaniemi/Harjutori (1939–1951). Not operated 1951–1976.
• 3 (yellow): Eira—Kallio—Töölö—Kauppatori—Eira (1922–2009), figure-of-eight circular.
• 4 (blue): Hietalahti—Töölö/Meilahti
  Meilahti
  Meilahti is a neighbourhood of Helsinki between Mannerheimintie and a bay named Seurasaarenselkä. Most of the houses in Meilahti were built in the 1930s and 1940s. Meilahti is home to over 6700 people including the President of Finland Tarja Halonen who lives on the shore in the President's...
  
   (1926–1951), Hietalahti-Munkkiniemi
  Munkkiniemi
  Munkkiniemi is a neighbourhood in Helsinki. Subdivisions within the district are Vanha Munkkiniemi, Kuusisaari, Lehtisaari, Munkkivuori, Niemenmäki and Talinranta.The land in Munkkiniemi was from the 17th century a part of Munksnäs manor...
  
   (1951-1959).
• 5 / 5A (yellow-white): Etu-Töölö—Katajanokka (1926–1955; 1929–1939 as 5A).
  • 5B: Etu-Töölö—Kauppatori (1929–1939).
• 6 (red): Lapinlahti—Hakaniemi (1926-1928), Lapinlahti-Hakaniemi-Hermanni (1928-1945), Lapinlahti-Hakaniemi-Arabia (1945-1959).
• 7 (red-white): Kirurgi—Linjat (1926—1949). Not operated 1949–1951. Töölö—Sörnäinen—Rautatientori (circular, 1951–1980).
• 8 (blue-white): Ruoholahti
  Ruoholahti
  Ruoholahti is a quarter in Helsinki, part of the Länsisatama neighbourhood and Kampinmalmi district. The name means Grass Bay and is pronounced...
  
  /Salmisaari
  Salmisaari
  Salmisaari is a small area belonging to the Ruoholahti quarter of the Länsisatama neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland....
  
  —Töölö/Vallila (1929–1949). Not operated 1949–1953 (combined into line 1).
• 9 (blue-yellow): Erottaja
  Erottaja
  Erottaja , meaning "the separator", is a public square near the centre of Helsinki, Finland.Erottaja square has been selected as the official geographic "zero point" of Helsinki. Distances to all other cities in Finland are measured starting from here. In practice, the square functions as the...
  
  —Ruskeasuo
  Ruskeasuo
  Ruskeasuo is a neighbourhood of Helsinki , about 3 kilometres north of the city centre....
  
   (1939–1946).
• 10 (white): Eläintarha
  Eläintarha
  Eläintarha is a large park in central Helsinki, Finland. The name "eläintarha" means "zoo".The park's location acts as a divisor between the districts of Töölö to the west, and Hakaniemi and Kallio to the east. The southern half of the park includes two bays of the Baltic Sea: Töölönlahti to the...
  
  —Länsi-Pasila
  Länsi-Pasila
  Länsi-Pasila , Västra Böle is a central neighborhood of Helsinki, Finland....
  
   (1928–1952).
• 11 (white): Kauppatori—Hermanni (1944).
• 12 (white, later red-yellow): Erottaja-Taka-Töölö (1944-1945), Erottaja-Kuusitie (1945-1949), Kirurgi-Kuusitie (1949-1957).
  • 12S: Arabia—Ruskeasuo (1950–1955), rush hour and night-time service.
• B/KB (white, later green-yellow): Kauppatori—Kulosaari (1913–1951). Tram traffic to Kulosaari terminated in 1951, in part due to the poor condition of the wooden bridge connecting the island to the mainland.
• H (blue-yellow): Erottaja-Haaga (1926-1939), Ruskeasuo-Haaga (1939-1946), again Erottaja-Haaga (1946-1949), Diakonissalaitos-Haaga (1949–1953).
• K (green-red): Vallila/Kauppatori—Käpylä
  Käpylä
  Käpylä is a neighbourhood of Helsinki with 7,600 inhabitants. Administratively speaking, Käpylä is a part of the Vanhakaupunki district.It is located between Kumpula, Oulunkylä and Koskela...
  
   (1925–1953). Combined into line 1 1953
• M (red-yellow): Erottaja—Munkkiniemi (1926–1951). Combined into line 4 1951.
• W (green-white): Kauppatori—Arabia (1926–1931).

1953–1985

The usage of letters as the main line identifier ended in 1953. Line colours were abandoned in 1954.

• 1: Eira-Kauppatori-Käpylä (1953-1954), Kauppatori—Käpylä (1954 onwards).
  • 1A: Eira—Käpylä (1954–1976), rush hour service.
• 2: Kauppatori—Itä-Pasila
  Itä-Pasila
  Itä-Pasila , Östra Böle is a neighborhood of Helsinki, Finland....
  
   (1976–1985).
  • 2A: Eira—Itä-Pasila
    Itä-Pasila
    Itä-Pasila , Östra Böle is a neighborhood of Helsinki, Finland....
    
     (1976–1985), rush hour service.
• 3B, 3T: Eira—Kallio—Töölö—Kauppatori—Eira (1922–2009), figure-of-eight circular.
• 4: Hietalahti-Munkkiniemi (1951-1959), Kirurgi—Munkkiniemi (1959–1985).
  • 4S: Kauppatori—Munkkiniemi (1951–1981), rush-hour service.
  • 4A: Erottaja—Munkkiniemi (1956–1966), rush-hour and night-time service.
  • 4N: Katajanokka—Munkkiniemi (1973–1985), night-time service.
• 5: Katajanokka—Töölö (1955–1985).
• 6: Lapinlahti-Arabia (1945-1959), Hietalahti—Arabia (1959 onwards).
• 7: Töölö—Sörnäinen—Rautatientori (circular, 1951–1980), Hakaniemi—Töölö—Harjutori (1980–1984).
• 8: Salmisaari—Vallila (1953–1984).
  • 8K: Salmisaari—Käpylä (1953–1962), rush-hour service.
• 9: Kauppatori—Vallila (1953–1976).
• 10: Erottaja-Ruskeasuo (1955-1957), Kirurgi-Ruskeasuo (1957-1959), Linjat—Ruskeasuo (1959–1985).
  • 10A: Käpylä—Ruskeasuo (1955–1958), rush-hour service; Arabia—Ruskeasuo (1959–1964), night-time service.
  • 10S: Kauppatori—Ruskeasuo (1955–1977), rush-hour service.
  • 10N: Erottaja—Ruskeasuo (1957–1959), Arabia—Ruskeasuo (1965–1977), night-time services.
• 12: Kirurgi-Kuusitie (1949-1957), Linjat-Kuusitie (1957-1959), Hietalahti—Kuusitie (1959–1962).
  • 12S: Arabia—Ruskeasuo (1950–1955), rush hour and night-time service.
• 15: Linjat—Töölön tulli (1954–1957).

1985 onwards

• 1: Kauppatori—Käpylä (1954 onwards).
  • 1A: Eira—Käpylä (1985 onwards), rush hour service.
• 2: Kauppatori—Linjat (1985–1992), Katajanokka ferry terminal—Linjat (1992–2005).
• 3B, 3T: Eira—Kallio—Töölö—Kauppatori—Eira (1922–2009), figure-of-eight circular.
  • 3B: Kaivopuisto—Eira—Kallio—Eläintarha
    Eläintarha
    Eläintarha is a large park in central Helsinki, Finland. The name "eläintarha" means "zoo".The park's location acts as a divisor between the districts of Töölö to the west, and Hakaniemi and Kallio to the east. The southern half of the park includes two bays of the Baltic Sea: Töölönlahti to the...
    
     (2009 onwards), forms a figure-of-eight circular together with line 3T.
  • 3T: Kaivopuisto—Kamppi—Töölö—Elaintarha (2009 onwards), forms a figure-of-eight circular together with line 3B.
• 4: Katajanokka—Munkkiniemi (1985 onwards).
  • 4T: Katajanokka ferry terminal—Munkkiniemi (2004 onwards).
• 6: Hietalahti—Arabia (1959 onwards).
• 7A, 7B: Pasila—Töölö—Rautatientori/Senaatintori—Sörnäinen—Pasila (1985 onwards), circular.
• 8: Salmisaari—Sörnäinen—Vallila(1984-2007), Salmisaari-Sörnäinen-Vallila-Arabia (2007 onwards).
• 9: Kolmikulma—Kallio—Itä-Pasila (2008 onwards).
• 10: Kirurgi—Ruskeasuo (1985-1990), Kirurgi-Pikku-Huopalahti (1991 onwards).
• Museum line (unnumbered): Kauppatori—Kruunuhaka—Rautatientori—Kauppatori (2009 onwards), circular.
• PUB
  Spårakoff
  Spårakoff is a HM V type tram converted into a bar in Helsinki, Finland. Known as the pub tram, the bright red vehicle does circular tours of Helsinki picking up passengers for an additional fee during summer months....
  
  : Rautatientori—Kallio—Töölö—Kauppatori—Rautatientori (1995 onwards), circular, restaurant line.
• Sightseeing: Rautatientori—Eira—Töölö—Kallio—Rautatientori (2010 onwards), circular, sightseeing line.

Planned extension of the network

Helsinki Transport Council have made plans for a radical expansion of the tram network within the next 20–30 years. Below is a list of confirmed and proposed future expansions of the network. In April 2009 Helsinki City Transport published a report on the viability of establishing a trolleybus

Trolleybus

A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...

 system in Helsinki. According to the report some of the expansions listed below could be realised as trolleybus lines instead of tram lines. According to the report troylleybus traffic would cost only half of what tram traffic currectly costs in Helsinki, although the factuality of this claim has been contested.

Jätkäsaari and Munkkisaari

The freight harbour area

Länsisatama

West Harbour is a cargo and container harbour in the Jätkäsaari district of Helsinki, Finland, in the southwestern part of the Helsinginniemi peninsula. The Länsisatama harbour area also includes the Munkkisaaren laituri pier on the west side of Munkkisaari, used by cruiseliners.The Länsisatama...

 in Jätkäsaari

Jätkäsaari

Jätkäsaari is a quarter in Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. It is part to the Kampinmalmi district and Länsisatama neighbourhood. It is was the location of the main container harbour in Helsinki until late 2008, when the harbour moved to the new facilities in Vuosaari...

 was freed for residential construction in late 2008 when the new Vuosaari Harbour

Vuosaari Harbour

Vuosaari Harbour is a seaport facility in Helsinki, Finland, opened in November 2008....

 opened for freight traffic. A tram connection tying the new area into the city center was under construction during 2010. In the most recent proposal, approved by the public transport council on 11 December 2008, line 8 will be expanded into the new area from the north and another line (possibly line 9) from the east via Kamppi. By 2025 line 6 will be rerouted from its current terminus at Hietalahti south to Munkkisaari

Munkkisaari

Munkkisaari , Munkholmen is a neighborhood of Helsinki, Finland....

. An earlier proposal featured the extension of lines 6, 8 and 9 into Jätkäsaari, but this was subsequently altered. Tracks are planned to be built as housing construction of the area advances, with the first sections to be laid in 2009. Phase one of the extension is to be completed in 2010, phase two in 2011 and the final third phase after 2015. To eliminate the need of building temporary return loops as the construction progresses, the acquisition of second-hand double-ended trams to be used on lines extending into Jätkäsaari is under consideration.

Laajasalo

New residential areas are to be constructed to the island of Laajasalo

Laajasalo

Laajasalo is a group of islands that forms a neighbourhood in southern Helsinki, the capital of Finland. As of 2005, it had a population of 16,486....

, to the east of Helsinki city center, between 2010 and 2025. Following a recommendation by the public transport council, the Helsinki city council

City council

A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...

 decided on 12 November 2008 that the new residential areas would be linked to the Helsinki city center by a tram connection built on bridges from Kruununhaka

Kruununhaka

Kruununhaka is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, the capital of Finland.Kruununhaka became the area next to the harbour and the center, when Helsinki was moved from the earlier location in the mid-1660s...

 via Tervasaari, Sompasaari and Korkeasaari

Korkeasaari

Korkeasaari is an island in Helsinki, Finland where the country's biggest zoo is situated. The English name of the zoo is Helsinki Zoo.The zoo is located on a rocky island. It's connected to mainland via a bridge to Mustikkamaa, where there is access to the zoo all year round...

 across the Kruunuvuorenselkä sea area and into Kruunuvuorenranta. Three tram lines are projected to be constructed into Laajasalo; one will terminate in the residential development area of Kruunuvuorenranta, a second will extend into Yliskylä

Yliskylä

Yliskylä , Uppby is a southeastern neighborhood of Helsinki, Finland....

 and a third line run into the southern central part of Laajasalo.

The main competing alternative, an extension of Helsinki Metro

Helsinki Metro

The Helsinki Metro , is the metro system in Helsinki, Finland. It is the World's most northern metro system, and currently the only one in Finland. The system was opened to the general public on 2 August 1982 after 27 years of planning...

, was found to be notably more expensive to construct and was projected to attract smaller passenger numbers than the tram.

In addition to the approved three lines into Laajasalo, the city council approved a motion that in the further planning of the Laajasalo area tram, expanding the tram network to the Herttoniemi metro station

Herttoniemi metro station

Herttoniemi or Hertonäs is a ground-level station on the Helsinki Metro. It serves the district of Herttoniemi in East Helsinki....

 should be investigated. Additionally, in case that the military base in Santahamina

Santahamina

Santahamina is an island and neighbourhood of Eastern Helsinki, Finland. At present it is a military base housing the Guard Jaeger Regiment, making access restricted...

 will be freed for residential construction in the future, provisions will be made for converting the tram lines into a light rail system that would extend into Santahamina in the south and travel in a tunnel from Korkeasaari to Katajanokka

Katajanokka

Katajanokka is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland, with around 4000 inhabitants in 2005. The district is located adjacent to the immediate downtown area, though in the first major town plan for Helsinki from the mid-18th century, the area fell outside the fortifications planned to encircle the...

, linking with the planned North-South line of the Helsinki Metro.

Extensions to line 9

Line number 9, opened in August 2008, was originally planned as early as 1990 to link Ilmala with Merikatu in southern Ullanlinna

Ullanlinna

' is the southern-most city district of Helsinki, in Finland. The name Ullanlinna refers to the fortification line that was built at the southern edge of the area during the 18th century , as part of the town fortifications, which also included the fortress of . The name refers to the Swedish...

. However, in the first phase of construction the northern part of the route was truncated into Itä-Pasila in order to cut costs, while the southern terminus was placed in Kolmikulma due to opposition to tram tracks by people living along the planned new line, particularly due to the fact that the amount of parking space would have decreased along the streets where new tracks would have been laid. The connection to Ilmala is to be completed constructed 2010-2012, and to be opened for traffic in 2013.

Although shortly before the opening of line 9 HKL stated the continuation to Merikatu had been abandoned permanently, within weeks of the opening of the line extending the route to Merikatu was again proposed, due to complaints from inhabitants of Ullanlinna following the termination of bus line 17. Subsequently the HKL stated they would be "actively acting to expand the tramline to Merikatu". Interlacing the tracks on some sections on Korkeavuorenkatu is under consideration as a space-saving measure, allowing a larger amount of parking space to be maintained along the street. In addition to extending line 9 to Merikatu, plans have been made for extending line 9 into Jätkäsaari instead. Should Jätkäsaari be chosen as the southern terminus for line 9, a different line would be routed to Merikatu in its place.

In addition to lengthening the line, moving the line from Kaarlenkatu and Helsinginkatu to Fleminginkatu in Kallio was proposed on 10 October 2008.

Kalasatama

Like the harbour area in Jätkäsaari, the freight harbour in Kalasatama will be freed for residential construction in late 2008 when the new freight harbour in Vuosaari

Vuosaari

Vuosaari is a neighbourhood in the City of Helsinki, Finland. It is located by the sea in East Helsinki, and with its area of 15.38 km² is geographically the largest district in the city. It also has two Helsinki Metro stations, Rastila and Vuosaari...

 is opened. Tram connection is considered as the means of connecting the new residential area with the city center (although there is also an existing metro station in the northern part of the area). Two tram lines are planned to be extended into the Kalasatama area, one from the west via Merihaka

Merihaka

Merihaka is a seashore residential area in central Helsinki, Finland consisting of large high-rise concrete housing blocks. It is located by the Baltic Sea next to districts of Hakaniemi, Kallio and Sörnäinen. It is known for its tall, grey buildings that some find gloomy. The residents of...

 and another from the south, utilizing the Tervasaari-Sompasaari bridge that will be built for the Laajasalo tram connection.

Munkkiniemi–Arabia/Kalasatama line

A private group consisting of members of the Finnish Tramway Society and students of Helsinki University of Technology

Helsinki University of Technology

Aalto University School of Science and Technology , was the temporary name for Helsinki University of Technology during the process of forming the Aalto University...

 drew up plans for a new tram line linking Arabia to Pasila railway station in order to improve the public transport connections of Kumpula

Kumpula

Kumpula is a verdant neighbourhood in Helsinki, bordered by Eastern Pasila to the west, Vallila to the south, Käpylä and Koskela to the north and Toukola and Arabianranta to the east. As of January 1, 2003, Kumpula had approximately 3,600 inhabitants....

. Many consider the existing public transport connections sparse and unreliable. The proposed line, provisionally numbered line 5, could either utilise the disused freight railway line in Southern Kumpula or only existing tram tracks, including a stretch on Sturenkatu between Mäkelänkatu and Hämeentie that is only used for depot movements presently. The proposal gained public interest, and on 4 April 2009 the City Planning Board of Helsinki mandated that an official study would be made on a tram line linking Munkkiniemi to Arabia or Kalasatama via Pasila and Kumpula, with proviosions made for further lengthening the line to Otaniemi

Otaniemi

Otaniemi , or Otnäs , is a district of Espoo, Finland. It is located near the border of Helsinki, the capital of Finland....

 (in Espoo) in the west and to Viikki

Viikki

Viikki is a neighbourhood of about 5,500 inhabitants in Helsinki, Finland. It is located at the bottom of Vanhankaupunginlahti bay, some 7–10 km from the city centre....

 in the east.

Tram 2015 study

A 2006 study named Ratikka 2015 ("Tram 2015") proposed a tram connection to Jätkäsaari, Munkkisaari, Ilmala and Kalasatama as well as expansion of the network to Munkkivuori

Munkkivuori

Munkkivuori is a quarter of the Munkkiniemi neighbourhood in Helsinki. The buildings and the plan of site are typical of the late 1950s. Most of the residential buildings in Munkkivuori are within a loop formed by Ulvilantie ring road...

. Variants proposed in the study also included several possibilities for additional tracks within the main parts of the city already served by trams, as well as the creation of new lines, or even the closure of existing lines. Although HKL plans to build a tram connection to Jätkäsaari, the route alternatives under consideration are not the same as proposed in the Ratikka 2015 study.

Jokeri line

The Helsinki tram network forms part of the Helsinki public transport system

Public transport in Helsinki

Public transport in Helsinki consists of bus, tram, metro, train, and ferry services. The system is managed by Helsinki Region Transport ....

 organised by Helsinki Regional Transport Authority

Helsinki Regional Transport Authority

Helsinki Regional Transport Authority began its work on January 1, 2010. The work of the new intercommunal authority is based on the new Finnish public transportation law in force since December 3, 2009...

 and operated by Helsinki City Transport

Helsinki City Transport

Helsinki City Transport or HKL is the official city-owned public transport company in Helsinki, Finland. It operates the Helsinki metro, Helsinki tram and ferry boat traffic...

 in the Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 capital city of Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

. The trams are the main means of transport in the city centre. 56.6 million trips were made in 2004, more than those taken by Helsinki Metro

Helsinki Metro

The Helsinki Metro , is the metro system in Helsinki, Finland. It is the World's most northern metro system, and currently the only one in Finland. The system was opened to the general public on 2 August 1982 after 27 years of planning...

. The Helsinki system is one of the oldest electrified tram networks in the world.

Since 1999, new low-floor tram

Low-floor tram

A low-floor tram is a tram that has no stair steps between one or more entrances and part or all of the passenger cabin. The low-floor design improves the accessibility of the tram for the public, and also may provide larger windows and more airspace....

s have been gradually brought into operation, but technical difficulties have slowed this progress. In 2004, Helsinki City Transport bought old eight-axle trams from Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 for relief during this transitional phase.

{{TOClimit|3}}

Lines

There are 12 tram lines in operation {{As of|2009|03|30|lc=on}}. Also included in the table below are three special lines operated during the summer months: The museum line operated by Helsinki City Transport in collaboration with Oy Stadin Ratikat Ab, the Spårakoff

Spårakoff

Spårakoff is a HM V type tram converted into a bar in Helsinki, Finland. Known as the pub tram, the bright red vehicle does circular tours of Helsinki picking up passengers for an additional fee during summer months....

 pub tram, and the Sightseeing line operated by Helsinki City Transport and Helsinki Expert. The details for these lines are valid as of 2010; please note these lines do not appear in the route map included with this article.

Due to road works at Katariinankatu, several lines ran diverted services between 6 June and 14 August 2011. Line 1 ran from Käpylä to Rautatientori, 3B ran from Eläintarha to 1A's return loop in Eira, 3T from Eläintarha to Katajanokka ferry terminal, lines 1A and 4T were not operated and a temporary line 5 ran a one-way loop Rautatientori-Kaivopuisto-Eira-Rautatientori.

Helsinki Tram Lines {{As of|2010|06|28|lc=on}}

Line number	From	Via	To	Service hours{{Ref label|schedule|A|A}}	Depot
1	Market Square Market Square, Helsinki The Market Square is a central square in Helsinki, Finland, and one of the most famous market places and tourist attractions in the city....	Kallio Kallio Kallio is a district and a neighbourhood in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, located on the eastern side of the Helsinki peninsula about one kilometere north from the city centre. It is one of the most densely populated areas in Finland...	Käpylä	10:00–15:00	Koskela
1A	Eira Eira Eira is a neighborhood in Helsinki, the capital of Finland.The district dates back to the early 20th century and received its name after Eira Hospital in the neighboring district of Ullanlinna, which in turn took its name from Eira Hospital in Stockholm, which was named after Eir, the old...	Market Square, Kallio		06:00–09:30 15:00–18:30
3B{{Ref label|3|B|B}}	Kaivopuisto Kaivopuisto Kaivopuisto , or in spoken language, Kaivari, is one of the oldest and best known parks in central Helsinki, Finland, and also a neighbourhood of about 500 inhabitants where the park is located.-Geography:...	Eira, Kallio	Eläintarha Eläintarha Eläintarha is a large park in central Helsinki, Finland. The name "eläintarha" means "zoo".The park's location acts as a divisor between the districts of Töölö to the west, and Hakaniemi and Kallio to the east. The southern half of the park includes two bays of the Baltic Sea: Töölönlahti to the...	06:00–01:30	Koskela
3T{{Ref label|3|B|B}}		Kamppi Kamppi Kamppi is a neighbourhood in the centre of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The name originally referred to a small area known as the "Kamppi field" , but according to the current official designation, "Kamppi" encompasses a much larger area with a population of 10,000 in 2004.The heart of Kamppi... , Töölö Töölö Töölö is the collective name for the neighbourhoods Etu-Töölö and Taka-Töölö in Helsinki, Finland. The neighbourhoods are located next to the city centre, occupying the western side of the Helsinki Peninsula....
4	Katajanokka Katajanokka Katajanokka is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland, with around 4000 inhabitants in 2005. The district is located adjacent to the immediate downtown area, though in the first major town plan for Helsinki from the mid-18th century, the area fell outside the fortifications planned to encircle the...	Mannerheimintie Mannerheimintie Mannerheimintie , or Mannerheimvägen , named after the Finnish military leader and statesman Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, is one of the most famous streets in Helsinki, Finland. It was originally named Heikinkatu , after Robert Henrik Rehbinder, but was renamed after the Winter War...	Munkkiniemi Munkkiniemi Munkkiniemi is a neighbourhood in Helsinki. Subdivisions within the district are Vanha Munkkiniemi, Kuusisaari, Lehtisaari, Munkkivuori, Niemenmäki and Talinranta.The land in Munkkiniemi was from the 17th century a part of Munksnäs manor...	06:00–01:30	Töölö
4T{{Ref label|4T|C|C}}	Katajanokka ferry terminal			10:00–11:30 16:00–17:00
6	Hietalahti Hietalahti, Helsinki Hietalahti is an unofficial district in the city of Helsinki, Finland.Hietalahti is a southern district, bordering the seaside, situated between Ruoholahti in the west and Kamppi in the north. Main attractions in Hietalahti include Helsinki's most popular flea market, a luxurious hotel and a...	Hakaniemi Hakaniemi Hakaniemi is an unofficial district of Helsinki, the Finnish capital. It is considered a part of the Helsinki city center. Historically, it was often associated with the working class and worker's associations. However, the cost of living has risen considerably in recent years and is now on par...	Arabia Arabianranta Arabianranta or Arabiastranden is a fast growing residential part of Helsinki, Finland. It is bound by Vanhankaupunginlahti bay from east, and connects to neighboring boroughs of Vanhakaupunki in north, Hermanni in south and Toukola and Kumpula in west...	06:00–23:30	Koskela
7A{{Ref label|7A|D|D}}	Senate Square Helsinki Senate Square The Senate Square presents Carl Ludvig Engel's architecture as a unique allegory of political, religious, scientific and commercial powers in the centre of Helsinki, Finland.-Construction:...	Töölö, Pasila Pasila is a suburb in Helsinki, Finland. It is a central-northern neighbourhood, bordering Alppila to the south, Central Park to the west and Vallila to the east....	Senate Square	06:00–23:30	Koskela / Töölö
7B{{Ref label|7B|E|E}}		Pasila, Töölö
8	Salmisaari Ruoholahti Ruoholahti is a quarter in Helsinki, part of the Länsisatama neighbourhood and Kampinmalmi district. The name means Grass Bay and is pronounced...	Sörnäinen	Arabia	06:00–23:30	Koskela
9	Kolmikulma	Kallio	Itä-Pasila	06:00–23:30	Koskela
10	Kirurgi	Mannerheimintie	Pikku Huopalahti Pikku Huopalahti Pikku Huopalahti is a neighbourhood of Helsinki between Mannerheimintie in the east and Huopalahdentie to its west...	06:00–23:30	Töölö
Museum1|F|F}}	Market Square	Kruunuhaka, Rautatientori Rautatientori Rautatientori is an open square in central Helsinki, immediately to the east of the Helsinki Central railway station. The square mostly serves as Helsinki's secondary bus station...	Market Square	10:00–17:00{{Ref label|Museum2|G|G}}	Koskela
PUB Spårakoff Spårakoff is a HM V type tram converted into a bar in Helsinki, Finland. Known as the pub tram, the bright red vehicle does circular tours of Helsinki picking up passengers for an additional fee during summer months.... {{Ref label>7B|E|E}}	Rautatientori	Kallio, Töölö, Market Square	Rautatientori	14:00–21:00{{Ref label|PUB|H|H}}	Koskela
7A|D|D}}	Rautatientori	Eira, Töölö, Kallio	Rautatientori	10:30–14:30{{Ref label|PUB|H|H}}	Koskela

Technology and infrastructure

The tram network is built almost exclusively on the streets of Helsinki, making it a traditional tram system rather than a light rail

Light rail

Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...

 one. The track gauge is one metre. The network consists almost entirely of double track. In some parts the tracks are separated from other road traffic; elsewhere they share road space with cars and buses.

The trams are powered with electricity conveyed by overhead wires. Trams have their own traffic light

Traffic light

Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...

s, distinguished from normal lights in that they are based on symbols of single colour: an upward-pointing arrow signifies "go", a horizontal line "prepare to stop" and the letter S "stop". The traffic lights are synchronised to allow tram and bus traffic to flow relatively smoothly. This system is called HeLMi (Helsinki Public Transport Signal Priority and Passenger Information).

Depots

As of 2010, there are four tram depots/workshops in Helsinki; HKL-maintained depots in Töölö

Töölö

Töölö is the collective name for the neighbourhoods Etu-Töölö and Taka-Töölö in Helsinki, Finland. The neighbourhoods are located next to the city centre, occupying the western side of the Helsinki Peninsula....

, Vallila

Vallila

Vallila is a neighbourhood in Helsinki, the capital of Finland.Vallila is a central-northern district, bordered by Pasila to the west and Kallio to the south. Like Kallio, Vallila is mostly residential and has a reputation of a working-class district...

 and Koskela

Koskela

Koskela , Forsby is a district in the city of Helsinki, Finland.-Politics:Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011 in Koskela:*Social Democratic Party 24.2%*True Finns 16.8%*Left Alliance 16.0%...

, and a Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....

-maintained workshop at Pasilan konepaja.

• The Töölö depot houses trams running on lines 4 and 10, as well as some of those on lines 7A and 7B, approximately one third of the whole rolling stock. The Helsinki tram museum is located next to the Töölö depot. Between 1948 and 1974 the Töölö depot also housed the trolleybus
  Trolleybus
  A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
  
  es used on Helsinki's sole trolleybus line.
• The Vallila depot houses repair-, paint- and rebuilding facilities, and administrative functions.
• The Koskela depot is the largest tram depot in Helsinki. It houses approximately two thirds of trams in the city, and contains training facilities. The Koskela depot is linked to the main Helsinki tram network by a long section of double track that is not used by passenger-serving trams.
• The Pasilan konepaja tram workshop was established in mid-2008 by Bombardier transportation as a repair shop for the Helsinki Variotram
  Variotram
  Variotram is a German-designed articulated low-floor tram model. Since its introduction in 1993, the Variotram has been manufactured variously by ABB, Adtranz, Bombardier Transportation, and since 2001 by Stadler Rail. As of 2009, 254 trams have been ordered, with an additional 110 on option...
  
  s, the maintenance of which became Bombardier's responsibility in May 2008. The workshop takes up a part of the former VR Group
  VR Group
  VR or VR Group is a state-owned railway company in Finland. Formerly known as Suomen Valtion Rautatiet until 1922 and Valtionrautatiet / Statsjärnvägarna until 1995...
  
   electric locomotive workshop at Pasilan konepaja. As of August 2008, the workshop does not have a permanent link to the tram network (although tracks run just outside the depot doors); instead, portable tracks are used to run the trams to and from the workshop.

Planning process is under way (as of October 2008) for excavating a new underground tram depot in the base rock below the existing Vallila depot and adjacent city blocks. The underground depot is planned to have facilities for housing 180 trams plus repair facilities and staff parking spaces. The underground depot would partially or completely replace the Koskela depot, which is inconveniently located far from normally operated tram lines and would require major reconstruction if kept in use. An alternative is rebuilding and expanding the Koskela depot, but this is projected to be more expensive than the planned underground depot.

Rolling stock

Helsinki City Transport operates the tram network with a total of 132 trams in scheduled passenger service. In addition there are six trams in reserve and eight in charter use. The Valmet Nr I+, Valmet Nr II+ and Variotram series comprise the backbone of the fleet. Both Finnish- and German-made vehicles are in use. All of the 42 Nr II+ series trams are undergoing a major modification process in which a 6.5 metre low-floor midsection is fitted to the tram and the type designation is changed from Nr II+ to MLNRV. HKL has also decided to fit ten of the older NrI trams with a low-floor mid-section, bringing the total number of MLNRV trams up to 52 by 2012, when the modifications are expected to be complete. HKL purchased ten DUEWAG

DUEWAG

The DUEWAG AG was one of Germany's major manufacturers for rail vehicles. The business was sold in 1999 to Siemens transportation.- History :The company was founded in 1898 as Waggonfabrik Uerdingen AG in Uerdingen...

 series second-hand trams from the German town of Mannheim

Mannheim

Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....

 to cover for the shortage of rolling stock caused by the problems with the Variotrams.

The following table lists the current rolling stock. Corresponding articles have further details about the cars in use.

Rolling stock {{As of|2011|09|lc=on}}

Tram Type	Car #	Built	Acquired	Modified	Seats	Standees	L{{Ref label|Length|F|F}}	W{{Ref label|Width|G|G}}	H{{Ref label|Height|H|H}}	S{{Ref label|srv_type_S|I|I}}	C{{Ref label|srv_type_C|J|J}}	R{{Ref label|srv_type_R|K|K}}
a     Valmet Nr I Valmet Nr I Nr I is a class of articulated six-axle , chopper-driven tram operated by Helsinki City Transport on the Helsinki tram network... +	d 31—70	1973—1975	1973—1975	1993—2003, 2005…	39	106	20.1	2.3	3.7	×
b     Valmet Nr II Valmet Nr II Nr II is a class of articulated six-axle , chopper-driven tram operated by Helsinki City Transport on the Helsinki tram network. All trams of this type were built by the Finnish metal industry corporation Valmet between the years 1983 and 1987.Between 1996 and 2005 all trams in the class were... +	e   71—112{{Ref label|NR_II|L|L}}	1983—1987	1983—1987	1996—2005	39	100	20	2.3	3.7	×
c       MLNRV Valmet Nr II Nr II is a class of articulated six-axle , chopper-driven tram operated by Helsinki City Transport on the Helsinki tram network. All trams of this type were built by the Finnish metal industry corporation Valmet between the years 1983 and 1987.Between 1996 and 2005 all trams in the class were...	f71—86, 88—94 96—112	1983—1987	1983—1987	2006, 2008—…	49	120	26.5	2.3	3.7	×
d     Variotram Variotram Variotram is a German-designed articulated low-floor tram model. Since its introduction in 1993, the Variotram has been manufactured variously by ABB, Adtranz, Bombardier Transportation, and since 2001 by Stadler Rail. As of 2009, 254 trams have been ordered, with an additional 110 on option...	l 201—240	1998—2003	1998—2003		55	80	24.4	2.3	3.7	×
e     DUEWAG GT6	i 151—154	1970	2005		52	93	19.1	2.2	3.8	×
g     DUEWAG GT8N	k 161—166	1962, 1964	2007—2008	1991—1992	55	120	25.7	2.2	3.8	×
j     HRO A7	g 135	1928	1928	1988	21	26	10.2	2.1	3.7		×
i     HRO A4	j 157	1930	1930	1987	21	26	10.2	2.1	3.7		×
l     Karia HM IV	m 320	1955	1955	1985	29	69	13.5	2.3	3.6		×
h     Valmet RM 1	n 332, 339{{Ref label|car_339|M|M}}	1955	1955	1987, 2003—2004	29	69	13.5	2.3	3.6		×
m     Karia HM V Karia HM V HM V is a class of two-bogie four-axle tram operated by Helsinki City Transport on the Helsinki tram network. All trams of this type were built by the Finnish tram manufacturer Karia in 1959....	c 9—14, 175{{Ref label|car_koff|N|N}}	1959	1959	2004—2007	31	57	13.5	2.3	3.6			×
f     DUEWAG GT8	h 150	1967	2004	1970, 2004	64	140	25.7	2.2	3.8		×
k     HRO A9	b BS 1{{Ref label|replica|O|O}}	1917	2007	2007	28	0	11.5	2.2			×
Totals	146				seats|P|P}}	standee|Q|Q}}				132	8	6

{{note label|Width|G|G}} Car width in meters

{{note label|Height|H|H}} Car height in meters with pantograph

Pantograph (rail)

A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...

{{note label|srv_type_S|I|I}} Scheduled service

{{note label|srv_type_C|J|J}} Charter service

{{note label|srv_type_R|K|K}} Reserve units